May 23, 2011

Man, I just gotta get this off my chest, this thing Mike Quade did during game #2 of the Cubs/Red Sox series.This "two to one" thing with the fingers.

Before I start, do not misunderstand me, because there was nothing as awful as when then Cub manager Jim Riggleman publicly said that Cub pitchers were not allowed ever to retaliate for a beaning of a Cub by beaning a guy from another team.I get the whole payback thing, and while it's a mighty dangerous game within the game, for Riggleman to take that away was silly.

So, game 2, Cubs at Sox.Starts off with Alfredo Aceves plunking Kosuke Fukudome in the leg.Not surprising since it's Aceves' first start.Then in the second came the horrific fastball to the face of Marlon Byrd, and now he's on the DL with facial fractures.

In the 5th, Carlos Zambrano hits Kevin Youkilis in the leg area, the ump immediately warns Boston that no more hitting batters with pitches will be allowed.Cut to Quade, though.He stands up and holds up his fingers to indicate "two to one".

Now, the announcers went into depth about this during game 3 after Kerry Wood hit Jed Lowrie.(Well, he tried to hit him, and on the next pitch he did hit him.)They replayed the video of Quade doing the "two to one" thing, and said something like Quade was clearly saying you hit two guys to our one.

Whether or not he was gesturing to the umpires or to the Boston bench, I can't figure anything else Quade could have been "two to one-ing" about, so that bugs me.

It feels completely bush.

Everybody in the park knew that at some point Carlos was gonna ding somebody. Retaliation in baseball happens.But if you're a professional manager, even if you're caught up in the emotion of your guy getting hit in the face, you don't "two to one".Especially on the most hyped series of the weekend with millions watching and extra cameras around.

You simply wait for the reporter to ask the inevitable question after the game: "Did you retaliate when Zambrano hit Youkilis?"And then you say, "Looked to me like it got away from him. You'll have to ask Carlos."

Let it be a player thing.A Big League manager, no matter his real role in the thing, is better off staying out of it in public.I mean, one of the good things about Quade is his no bullshit style, but still..There's supposed to be at least one grown-up in the dugout.

May 22, 2011

It is SO nice to do something clownish about the other team for a change, and last night it happened to be the almost first place Boston Red Sox.Last night completely turned the tables on the "The Cubs will find a way to lose this one" thought which we've become accustomed to this season, and I could not believe my eyes.First we all had to grit our teeth thru the 7th as Rich Hill came in and struck out left fielder (what?) Blake DeWitt and Kosuke Fukudome. But then the 8th...In came Boston reliever Matt Albers.Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro each single, Aramis Ramirez has about a 10 pitch walk and now the bases are loaded.Carlos Pena walks. Run scores. Bases still loaded. Reed Johnson smacks a double, Cubs take the lead.

That was actual baseball with actual hits by...Cubs.

Then Boston's clown car pulled up.

Soriano hits a pop up to Lowrie, and it goes off his glove.SPLAT!Pie in the face.Cubs up by 2.

Now it's Franklin Morales pitching.Jeff Baker absolutely mashes a double off the wall.Cubs up by 3 and Soriano on 3rd.Koyie Hill strikes out (SHOCKING!).Fukudome walks and then Barney flies out to right and the camera cuts to home for the play at the plate because for sure Soriano's gonna tag up and...wait! Soriano's not even in the picture! He didn't run, and now he's caught in a rundown?Before I can even comprehend the rundown is happening because Baker's on 3rd, Jason Varitek throws to Kevin Youkilis who puts up his glove and BLOOEY! A pie in the face for Youkilis as the ball goes off his glove and into left.Soriano scores and WHIPBLATT! Another pie in the face when Crawford's throw gets by Varitek and Baker scores!Castro hits another double and now it's Cubs 9 Sox 3.

So...lets not even bring up the disaster that should have happened with Soriano, okay?

But lets do bring up Blake DeWitt in left field while Tyler Colvin, the guy with actual power who should be out there, is in Iowa. Why is he in Iowa?They say it's to get some regular playing time, which he would be getting with Soriano DHing had they not sent him down.No he wasn't swinging real well, but given the choice between him and DeWitt...

May 21, 2011

By the time I sat down in Barney's Beanery, the Cubs were already the obvious little leaguers in this hype-ey mismatch.Barney's is one of those places with a million tvs all with different games on them, and as I sat at the bar the bartender says hi and I go, "I'm here for the rest of this Cubs game" and she goes, "I'm so sorry."Not kidding.Adrian Gonzalez had just knocked in 2, and it was 2-6 Sox, and I'm happy to see newly brought up Scott Maine go to the mound.He looks like a tough kid, cool beard and all, and here's big scary man Kevin Youkilis up at the plate and Maine has a very quick motion and it looks like he's throwing 100, but really it's 92.And 92 is just perfect for Mr. Youkilis, who hits the ball so freaking hard it went out into the city of Boston, making the Green Monster look like the Green Mini.

There were 2 outs when Maine came in, andI swear I sat there for half an hour waiting for out #3.Mr. Miane's confidence could not have been more abused.

The Cubs get a couple back, and one of the bartenders is actually wearing a Cubs hat.We bonded a little.

But when it got to 10-5 Sox, I got up to leave.And walking back to the hotel, my little ESPN app squawked, I looked down and gasped.

Five to fif-freaking-teen.

Had I not been working, a friend of mine had offered to take me to the game - all I had to do was fly out.

May 19, 2011

I'm still working late, still catching Cub action after the fact online.And I gotta say, it's SOOOO MUCH more fun doing something dumb and happy rather than the angry spew I've been forced to toss out lately.

THE CUBS WON ONE!

I don't know really what happened, just a couple things from the box score.

May 18, 2011

Here's how all of baseball ended up last season, error-wise: Pirates/Nats with 127, then the Cubs/Braves with 126.So far this season, the Cubs weigh in waay back at #8 with 30 E's.But it's still early, and errors are just the easiest stat to find for a team's lack of skill.Baserunning, hitting the cut-off man, taking pitches when one should take pitches, taking the calculated risk at the right time and having it work...There are alot of little things that, if we added them all up, probably the 2011 Cubs are leading the overall way at not being good at baseball. Here's the top headlines on ESPN today:

Notice how only the Cubs are associated with "mistakes", while the rest of the team's association is with first place, or snapping skids, or homers?

I was following the game on my cell phone, and when Darwin Barney had the awesome 9 or 10 pitch battle and finally walked, forcing in the lead run I was so happy I turned it off and forced my own self to not look again until...well first I got a text from a Cardinal fan that said, "Can the Cubs be any worse?"That was my first hint.Then from Sutter: "These last two nights could be in the all time franchise bottom ten. Let the kids play. Go Tony Campagna!" So, I finally looked and saw Reds 7 Cubs 5, there were the 4 errors committed by and 7 unearned runs given up by our favorite team as they hacked up another L.And all I could think was: "Are you shitting me?"The "E" just turned out to be a convenient rhyme.

Cubby-Blue

is an art blog following the Chicago Cubs with cartoons, gifs, animations, and illustrations by me, Tim Souers.
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